May 2020

THE SECOND ONLINE SOCRATES CAFE WAS HELD WITH TOPIC:
SHOULD WOMEN BE IN POLITICS?


Is the 40% quota for the less represented sex on the electoral lists of political parties a sufficient incentive for women to engage in politics in our society? Are women brave enough to face the obstacles of society in achieving their political ambitions? These were some of the questions asked by students of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Law, University of Zenica, Džemal Bijedić University in Mostar and students of the International Burch University in Sarajevo, at the second online Socrates Cafe held on May 21, 2020. Socrates Cafe aim is to help participants to discover new insights by questioning the topic from different perspectives, and in this way to strengthen their critical thinking, build attitudes, share their own and respect the opinions of other participants.
 Socrates method of dialogical questioning led participants into a world of reflection, analysis and research on the topic "Should women be in politics?".

The students characterized the topic as interesting and especially important, both for individuals and for the entire society in which we live. Most of the interlocutors agreed that society faces great challenges when it comes to adequate information, proper definition of problems and ways of overcoming stereotypes and prejudices related to women. We have to change our personal opinion so that we can change the world around us - concluded the participant from Sarajevo, while the participant from Mostar added that one of the ways to achieve change is actually changing the way we communicate with the environment. The participant from Banja Luka concluded that new generations of men should work harder to support women in their promotion and protection of rights and choices, which will certainly be an additional incentive for their political engagement and social action. The facilitator of the second online Socrates Cafe was Melika Šahinović, program coordinator of the TPO Foundation.